Shattered Pieces
by mooneyeye
Summary: "Your heart can only take so much pain, until it finally decides that you've finally had enough." AU fic.
1. Prologue: The Letter

_Sasuke,_

_I've signed it. It's in your top left drawer. I'm sorry it took so long for me to pick up that pen and finally give you what you've wanted all these years. There are no chains binding you to me anymore. You're free now._

_I've been so stupid, tying you down with me when all you've ever wanted was her. I see it in your eyes, everyday. I watch you walk out of our driveway with a smile on your face, only for it to turn into a scowl once you've reached the door. It hurts me more than it hurts you, believe me. You're not the one so hopelessly in love with the person who only wishes to be with someone else. Your smiles, your embrace, your heart- all of them are only for her. I foolishly let myself hope that maybe I could make this marriage work. I thought that maybe in time, you'd learn to love me even just a little bit. I guess my blind optimism will always be my fatal flaw, ne? _

_Don't worry about my father. I'll explain everything to him. He's probably going to be happy about this though. And I hope for your happiness, too. Even if it's not with me._

_ Always,_

_ Sakura_


	2. Chapter 1: Regret

**A/N**: Hi! Mooneyeye here. :) This would be probably confusing right now, but I promise that things would be clearer along the way. Thank you for reading and please review to let me know what you guys liked/hated. Thank you! :)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1: **Regret**

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"I have to admit, an unrequited love is so much better than a real one. I mean, it's perfect... As long as something is never even started, you never have to worry about it ending. It has endless potential." ―_ Sarah Dessen _

Don't cry.

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I can't cry.

If I let a single tear drop, the dam in my heart might burst. I might not be able to stop crying.

It's been done. I had to leave. A person can only experience so much pain until you find yourself numb from the unfairness of it all.

I was always there for him. Since we were kids, all I've ever wanted was to see him smile. A single smile is all that it would take for me to forget the pain. A single smile of his would be worth it. But I guess my heart was always tearing from the seams since we were children.

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He was orphaned from a very young age. His parents died in a car accident, leaving him and Itachi-nii alone in this violent and greedy world.I remember seeing him for the first time, at our house, flat-faced and seemingly empty. Itachi was holding his hand. And even though Itachi-nii was faring only slightly better compared to Sasuke, he carried his twelve-year old shoulder high and smiled politely when my father greeted them. Sasuke only remained quiet and somber.

I guess I couldn't blame him.

Returning to your home after a fun day at school only to find out that your parents have been ripped from your grasp by some freak accident with a drunk driver must have sucked all the happiness in his world.

The death of their parents was all over the news. The company was in trouble, they said. All that wealth- such a shame, they said. Nobody wanted to comment on the two boys who were the most affected by the tragic events.

Being the two boys' godparent, my father decided to take them under his wing. It was the least he could do, he said to my mother. My dad and Fugaku Uchiha had been friends since they were little boys and my father would gladly kill himself before he let anyone of the Uchiha's greedy relatives take advantage of the two.

"They would be staying here", my father said to me when I was just five years old. I was told to make them feel at home, and to avoid saying unnecessary things about their circumstance.

"Itachi-kun and Sasuke-kun can't live in their mansion anymore. There are a lot of bad people that might harm them if they stay there alone", he said.

"So, we're going to take care of them here. Just like family."

And that's how I got to live with them. Sasuke and I were of the same age, that's why I was always told to play with him and make him feel comfortable at our house. At first, I resented the idea. Why the hell should I share my home with these strangers? Sasuke wasn't even nice to me. He wouldn't talk. He would go with whatever game I wanted to play, but he never talked. I resented him for it. Eventually, I got used to his quietness. Even though he was quiet, he was kind in his own way. He helped me out with homework, always came to rescue me when I got into trouble, especially in high school. His cold and angry scowl sacred away any unwanted suitors.

We were together everyday; we even attended the same classes. People would gossip about him and Itachi-nii but he seldom got angry. I, on the other hand, erupted like a volcano every time I see those gossip mongrels leering at him.

It took me a full year to realize that my anger was actually due to my growing feelings. I didn't want anyone looking at him.

He was mine.

During the summer vacation of our third year in high school, I decided to act on those feelings.

He was casually playing a piece in the living room. Itachi-nii was at the corporation with dad, learning the tricks of the trade so that he can finally handle the huge amount of wealth that their parents left them. We were alone.

I was staring at his hands while his deft fingers delicately stroke each key, producing a heartfelt melody. I was entranced. He was perfect. I wanted to have him. I wanted him to only look at me. I wanted to mend the sadness and fulfill the emptiness inside his heart. I thought I was the one who could fix him.

So I kissed him.

I pressed my lips against his. He was surprised, I could tell. He didn't move. His body was rigid. I, on the other hand, was bursting with life. My stomach was doing somersaults and I was dizzy with the overwhelming feeling of heat. I love this man. I want him. It's okay if everything else crumbled, as long as I had him.

He stayed frozen.

His lips didn't even press back against mine. Only after I leaned back from his touch did reality sink in.

His face said it all. It was not a look of surprise which would have been much better. Instead, it was a look of resignation.

I ran to my room and locked myself in it for days.

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**A/N:** Let me know what you guys think :)


	3. Chapter 2: broken

"We need to talk."

That was the first thing he said to me after cornering me by the staircase one Saturday morning. I have been avoiding him for the past three days, going out of my room only when it was completely necessary. I merely sat on my chair at the dining table, refusing to look at his sitting form across from me. Although the family noticed the strangeness of it all, they didn't comment on it, choosing to just stay out of it and letting us resolve it ourselves.

That thought never crossed my mind.

For me, I thought I could keep on ignoring him, pretending to be blind to his existence until the humiliation of the incident died down in my heart. I couldn't face him yet, not after the apparent rejection of my feelings for him. So when he uttered those words as I was coming down from the staircase, I panicked. How I could miss his presence when he was standing five feet away from me escaped me, and it didn't change the fact that I wasn't ready for it.

I may never be ready for it.

I attempted to go past his tall frame but his long arms prevented my escape. He took a firm grip on my arm and turned me to face him.

"You can't keep on avoiding me" he said while I stood frozen in his arms, with his startling eyes piercing me.

"There's really nothing to talk about, Sasuke."

He considered me for a moment, gauging my sanity perhaps. And with a hard glint in his eyes, spoke the dreaded question, "Why did you kiss me?"

Wasn't it obvious? Or was he just being cruel? My voice was stuck to my throat. Words wouldn't come out even if I wanted them to. Seconds ticked by without any words between us.

It felt like an eternity.

He sighed and loosened his grip on me, and I finally released the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"If this is another one of your games, I don't want any part in it."

He turned to walk away, leaving me stunned and… insulted. Just how shallow does he think I am? I may have fooled around with guys in the past but I never kissed any of them. I would never go that far for a joke. The notion of how lightly he took my gestured confession made the blood in my veins boil. Heat rushed up to my face and I recognized the familiar threat of tears creeping to my eyelids.

"It's not a game, you know", I found myself saying even before I could even process the words in my mind.

He looked back at me, waiting for me to finish. He looked bored, as if he was in class, waiting for a stupid classmate to get on with her speech. I had to defend myself.

"How dare you take me so lightly? It may have been a game with the others, but that's not the case with you."

I realized that my voice is quivering, but I couldn't stop. My heart was beating so fast, like it was protesting from being insulted by the object of its affection.

"I'm serious about my feelings for you! You're the only one who has made me feel this way. If only you'd give me a chance, Sasuke. I can make you ha-"

"You're wasting your time", he calmly said to me.

"What?"

"I can never return your feelings. I'm sorry" he walked away then.

I stood there like a statue. My brain had frozen over, unwilling to process the words uttered by his retreating form. The feeling has left my fingers and an incessant ringing filled my ears. My eyes began to sting but I bit my lip and refused to let the tears fall.

A full minute passed before I decided to trudge to my room, feeling a coppery taste in my mouth.

I locked the door and sat on the foot of my bed.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to hurl things across the room.

It felt like my heart was being wringed and turned inside out.

My mind mockingly gave me glimpses of all those fairytales I read when I was younger. All of those 'happily-ever-after's, kissing under the moonlight, getting married and growing old together…

Love wasn't supposed to be this way.

This isn't what poets wrote about.

This is bullshit.

How can he dismiss my feelings like that? How can he step on my feelings as if they were nothing? Why can't he at least try to receive my feelings for him? Does he expect me to simply give up?

The answers evaded me until two months later.

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A/N: Please review! :)


	4. Chapter 3: Savior

**A/N:** Sorry for the shortness of the previous chapter, I hope this next one makes up for it. :) As always, please review! :D

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Perhaps a normal girl would've felt discouraged by all that has happened, but I persevered. It would take more than that to break me. So what if he doesn't love me back? I'll make him love me with every fiber of his being, just like the way I loved him. My feelings are strong enough.

Well, that's what I told myself. It was only part of the truth.

A large part of me felt compelled to prove him wrong. I DO have a chance. I can and _will_ make him love me. My pride was wounded, but I still loved him. Looking back now, I should've escaped then when the wound was still fresh.

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After sulking in my room for a week, I regained some of my determination. I can't and _won't_ give him up yet. Having awoken from my delusions of a guaranteed happy ending, I tried my best with renewed vigor. I kept up my happy façade when I was with him, acting like nothing happened between us, like he never basically told me to "fuck off". I treated him the same way before the whole incident happened.

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To my relief, he said nothing about the matter. He might have looked a little bothered during the first morning that I began talking to him again, but he merely looked on and said nothing. I have to admit that I was disappointed though, but then again, I knew who Sasuke is. If I didn't dare talk about the subject, he wouldn't push it. He gave me disapproving looks now and then, as if reprimanding me for my foolishness. But I was one tough cookie. Sakura Haruno wasn't someone who just gave up.

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Sakura Haruno's ego was bruised though.

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Humiliation tastes bitter.

Before pursuing Sasuke, all I've ever known was admiration from the opposite sex. People lined up to have a chance to talk to me, and I had a blast blowing off those whom I didn't like.

Perhaps this was life's way of repaying my cruelty.

I felt no compassion for those who groveled at my feet for a date. And now that I found the one who made my heart ache from loneliness, life thought that I should have a taste of my own medicine.

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Being in the same class as him, he couldn't really just get rid of me. Even if he didn't want to, I maintained a constant presence in his life. He was as much of a jerk as before, but now, there was a hint of uneasiness in our interactions. I tried not to dwell on it that much, but of course, it hurt me.

I was only allowed to look at him when he wouldn't notice. He would usually sit two seats in front of me. Most of the time I would watch him looking ahead in front, but not really paying attention.

There were times though that I would catch him looking at the window beside him. I always wondered what he was looking at, or if he even was looking at anything at all. The whole ordeal would make me feel an unwarranted dread at the depths of my stomach, but I never let it settle too long. I had other things to worry about.

We were to graduate in two months time and with that, things couldn't be busier for us seniors. The hectic final exam schedules and the finalization of our college admission results put us on edge. So when those things were finally over, the class decided to hold a party as stress-reliever and a final get-together before graduation.

Knowing of my family's connections, they insisted on holding the party at our place. I was reluctant to agree, but as a favor to them, I talked my parents into it. It was held on a Friday night at the lower east wing of the house. Knowing our rowdiness and typical teenage-behavior, my parents and Itachi-nii decided to not have a part in it and went to a charity event at the next city with their business partners. As for me, I was just glad that I didn't have to deal with them. I wanted to let loose as well, and it was the perfect time.

I should have tried to control myself after that fifth glass, but I was so happy then. All the stress of passing my exams, getting into university and regulating my frustration over Sasuke was eating at me and I needed to calm the fuck up and release it all, which was probably not a good idea though with everyone there at the party. And indeed, everyone was there, including the ever stoic Uchiha. He had friends of course, but he never really had the patience for these kinds of antics, so I was surprised to see him there. And I was more surprised to see that he had been drinking as well. Although he wasn't as hammered as the rest of us, the slight tinge of red by the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks attested to it. Maybe bringing in alcohol wasn't such a good idea either.

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Feeling slightly dizzy by midnight, I struggled to walk straight, intent on making it to the stairs without falling on my face. Navigating the walls of my home was never this hard before. And as I neared the stairs, the noise of the party started fading away. It was relaxing, and I found myself craving for my warm bed even more. Faltering half-way on the sixth step on the stairs, I felt a presence behind me, casually holding me up by my arms. I turned to look at the owner of the pair of arms, finding the face of my male classmate, Haru, looking back. I didn't notice him before I took the stairs, so I must be more out of it than I initially thought.

I never really paid attention to Haru, but I knew that he was popular with the girls. He had jet black hair and luminous blue eyes. He was also among the tallest in our class, towering above me by almost a foot. Looking at him at that moment, I can say that he was indeed good-looking, but I wasn't attracted to him.

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"Easy there, you'll fall", he said while pushing me slightly to correct my balance.

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"Oh", I stammered. I wasn't also aware that I was slightly tilting my body backward. "Thanks", I added.

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I was grateful, really. But Haru was standing too close for comfort and I just needed to get away from all the noise and the stuff that were starting to spin around me.

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"I can handle it, now. Thanks, Haru."

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He seemed reluctant to let go at first so I tugged my arm a bit to help him get the hint.

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He didn't budge.

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I didn't have the patience to deal with courtesy so I stared right back at him and was about to snap at him for not letting go when I saw the look in his eyes.

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Normally, this kind of thing won't intimidate me, but I was already light-headed from the alcohol and wasn't sure if I could defend myself if the situation called for it. I ran a quick calculation of the possibility of pushing him and running to safety successfully.

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It wasn't good.

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I felt fear creeping up my spine when I also realized that no one would really be able to hear me if I screamed at that moment. He must have sensed it as he began inching his face closer to mine.

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"Stop it."

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Ah, my savior.


	5. Chapter 4: Confrontation

**A/N:** Hi! It's me again, Mooneyeye here! This chapter is the longest so far, since I got a bit carried away. Siiiigh. Anyway, it took me three hours to finish this since this is the first of its kind for me to write. So yeah, apologies if it's crappy : Please enjoy it, and I promise that I'll keep on trying my best to improve :) And I'd also like to thank the kind souls who bother to take the time to read through and review my work, thank you so much! You don't know how much it means to me to finally have someone to show my work to! Please continue to look kindly upon me. ^_^

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**Chapter Four:** Confrontation

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"Stop it."

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His cold voice barely suppressed the rage that threatened to rupture from the sight of us two. I saw Haru's silhouette on his narrowed obsidian eyes, causing a shiver to crawl up my spine and for goose bumps to loiter my arms. The drunkenness was ripped away from my mind as the tension rose between the three of us. Sasuke's imposing frame inched towards us languidly, like a panther stalking towards its cornered prey. Fear settled in as the inevitable ran rampant inside my mind.

If he pissed Sasuke off, Haru would not leave this house unscathed.

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"Sasuke"

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Sasuke's eyes narrowed even further. Finally closing the distance between us, he glared at Haru from two steps below. The difference in height was palpable, but Sasuke's stance made it seem otherwise.

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"It's Uchiha. We're not friends", he said; his voice quiet, yet piercing.

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"Ah. Uchiha, then. No need to lose your shit. I was just helping Sakura up the stairs", he said while gripping my arm tighter and pulling me closer to him.

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"Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind me taking the reins now, would you", a hint of a smirk beginning to form on his face.

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Haru glared at him but said nothing. For a fraction of a second, I felt his grip falter but he didn't let go. Backing down against Sasuke will hurt his pride, especially now that he's taken the joke too far. Sasuke, on the other hand exuded an air of arrogance but his eyes betrayed his cool demeanor. His eyes flickered towards mine for a second before settling onto Haru's. He held Haru's gaze for a few more seconds before moving in a speed much too fast to be normal, his movement leaving a blurred after image in my head.

There was a struggle amongst us and before I could even comprehend what was going on, I was pressed up against a hard chest hidden by a thin cotton shirt with a pair of arms gripping my waist and my left hand while Haru held the other. Haru, too, looked shocked but still didn't let go.

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"Let go before I break your fucking arm off."

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"Sasuke… ", I pleaded with him.

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Haru, sensing the truthfulness of his warning, finally let go of my arm. He stepped down the stairs, his face etched in a deep scowl with Sasuke's calculating eyes trailing him. Before reaching the door, he turned to look at the two of us, a small semblance of his male pride resurfacing.

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"Tsk. You might think that you're king of the world now, Uchiha. But give it a few years, and you'll be groveling at my feet", he spat.

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"Hn. In your dreams."

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Haru left then, leaving me in Sasuke's arms.

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And suddenly, I was being roughly pulled up the stairs by Sasuke, causing me to take two steps at a time.

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On the outside, he may look calm, collected and totally unconcerned by the world around him; but that cannot be farther from the truth. Everyone might be fooled into thinking that he rarely bared his anger, but I've always seen through his facade. He wants, needs, and exudes control over everything. Sasuke is as calm as the howling wind, the raging waves, and the crackling of lightning.

Sasuke is a hurricane.

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To say he was angry was an understatement.

He was livid.

I was shoved towards the bed after being yanked through my own bedroom door. Part of me was indignant after being handled roughly, but another part was shamelessly tingling with excitement.

His was standing at the foot of the bed frame; he was seething, and he wasn't trying to hide it anymore.

His display of dominance caused heat to erupt in my belly, and the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. He was looking at me, fixing his impermeable onyx stare through my green ones and thus, effectively pinning my frame to the bed without having to touch an inch of my skin. I should've been angry, really, but I couldn't stop the hammering of my heart against my ribcage.

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"What the fuck were you doing, getting cornered like that?" he spat at me.

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"What?"

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"He was coming onto you, and you couldn't stop him"

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"You were so pissed drunk that he could've taken advantage of you", he started pacing around the room like an agitated tiger.

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"I was tired and dizzy; I don't see why any of that was my fault!"

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"You let yourself get cornered into that, you had a fault in it", he paused and muttered a quick, "Fucking stupid."

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I felt my hackles rise at the insult. The heat of arousal was leaving my face and was being quickly replaced by flames of fury.

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"You didn't have to help me if you're just going to gloat and be a jerk about it!" I screamed at him.

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That apparently the wrong thing to do, for he froze mid-step in his pacing and turned to face me so quickly that I was surprised it didn't hurt his neck, seething and almost baring his teeth at me. He stalked towards the bed and pushed me down, pinning my arms above my head with one hand. His other held my right shoulder, flatting my back securely on the bed with his face merely inches from mine. I was shocked into submission. The light emanating from the lamp shade by my bedside table did little to illuminate his features, but I could see his glare all too clear. I could see the thin wisps of his hair, messily dangling between and over his eyes; of the thin and barely visible lines between his furrowed brows; the deep set of his scowl and the clenching of his chiseled jaw. I was all too aware of him, my senses going into overdrive, rekindling the momentary loss of heat in my belly and sending jolts to my core.

I was aware of his right knee between my thighs, the hard set of muscles on his leg effectively making sure that they stayed apart. His ragged breaths sent out puffs of smoke in my cold, dimly-lit bedroom. I felt a deep, unforgiving urge to kiss him, to beg him, to…

He lowered his lips, inching closer slowly; dragging on the torture of anticipation to my quivering lips. He stopped, barely a breath away from my mouth, and swiveled to the side, attacking the side of my neck instead. A startled gasp was wringed out of my throat before I had time to process what happened. I tried to break free of his grip so that I could clutch his neck and pull him closer, but he was unrelenting; his grip tightening even more after my attempt to disobey him.

He wanted, no, _demanded_ control.

And he was going to have it.

He continued his ministrations, while I bit my lower lip out of frustration. His tongue made light, lazy strokes on the skin of my neck, trailing a fiery path on my being and sending my soul ablaze. I was both in heaven and hell, and I didn't even know that it was possible to feel this way.

A moan escaped my closed lips when he sucked on the pulse of my throat. A ragged, uninhibited sound that in any other moment, would've embarrassed me, but I didn't care. It felt too damn good to care. I was mindless with need. I wanted him to trace a path of vengeance on my whole body; to breathe life to my parched soul. He must have sensed my willingness, for he unlatched his lips from my skin. The warmth began to recede rapidly and I started to whine my protest when he suddenly trailed his left hand to my exposed thigh.

I was instantly plummeting head first to euphoria; the beating of my heart a constant banging of drums. I was insane with need. I struggled to open my eyes, feeling a slight sting from tightly shutting them from the moment he touched me with his lips. He was staring at me, his face an unreadable mask; forever a puzzle with incomplete, missing pieces. Yet, I knew what that look meant. I've seen it thousands of times before, but I never developed immunity to it. He released the grip on my wrists and settled his hands on either side of my waists, slightly pulling back and sitting on his ankles to look at me. I willed my lungs to slow down.

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"You don't love me."

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"Ah."

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"Then, why did you do this? A sick joke?"

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A pause.

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"A demonstration. Inhibitions quickly die away in the influence of alcohol."

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He never saw the slap coming, but there was little indication of his shock from the impact; a mere shrinking of his pupils for a fraction of a second; the echo of the sound of my palm's contact to his face the only evidence left of my aggression.

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"Get the fuck off of me, Sasuke."

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I immediately felt the loss of warmth and the additional weight of his presence on my bed. My raised hand found purchase on my belly. I settled my head on the mattress, refusing to look at him. I heard his retreating footsteps, counting it silently in my head, begging the humiliation to be over.

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…_

Short of leaving through the door, he stopped.

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"There will never be love for you, not in the same kind that you yearn for, in my heart. I will only hurt you, over and over again. It's best to stop this, Sakura, because I.."

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I held my breath for what seemed like an eternity.

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"..I love someone else."

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And with that, Sasuke dealt the final blow.

He left quietly, leaving only silence and a path of destruction in his wake.

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"…I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible. And when I leave you will finally understand, why storms are named after people."

-Caitlyn Siehl

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**A/N:** So… what do you think? Please review!

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